Russia’s ‘carrier-killer’ Moskva enters Mediterranean

Russia’s Moskva missile cruiser, dubbed a “carrier-killer” by NATO, has passed through the Straits of Gibraltar and is now heading toward the eastern Mediterranean to assume command of the Russian naval force there.

“The Black Sea flagship entered the Russian Navy's area of
responsibility in the Mediterranean at 11:00 pm Moscow time
yesterday," the agency reported a military source as saying.

The missile-carrying cruiser is expected to join its final
destination in eastern Mediterranean on September 15 or 16.

Upon arrival, the command of the Russian Navy unit in the
Mediterranean, currently stationed onboard the Admiral Panteleyev
anti-submarine ship, will be relocated to the Moskva.

"The armaments and technical equipment of the missile cruiser
are in working condition. The crew is ready to perform combat
missions,” the source said.

The missile cruiser, initially known to Western naval
intelligence as “Slava” (Glory), was launched in 1979 and entered
service in 1983. It was later renamed the “Moskva” in 1995.
Designed to be carrier-killers, the cruisers of Class 1164 are
equipped with 16 anti-ship launchers P-1000 Vulkan, or Volcano
(SS-N-12 Sandbox anti-ship missiles, according to NATO
classification).

Another two vessels, the landing ship Nikolay Filchenkov and the
guard ship Smetlivy, will join the Russian naval unit later. They
will be pass through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits by
September 12-14 and will then head to the eastern Mediterranean.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has said the maneuvers are part of the
“stage-by-stage rotation of warships and support ships of the
standing naval force in the Mediterranean.”

The recent deployments are aimed at “complex monitoring” of the situation
around Syria, military sources told Interfax earlier.

Russian naval maneuvers in the Mediterranean come amid growing
tension in the region, which sparked speculation that Russia was
boosting its naval presence ahead of a possible US strike against
Syria.

Previously, Russia’s defense officials cautioned against making
connections between the relocation of warships and the Syrian
crisis, saying the maneuvers do not depend on the situation and
“will continue after it.”